Datacenter and Application-Migration for the DB Regio AG
Migration and consolidation for applications from multiple on-premise data centers to AWS Cloud for DB Regio Bus.
About the customer:
The Deutsche Bahn AG has bundled the entire bus division in the DB Regio into the “Bus” (DB Regio Bus) division. The DB Regio Bus focuses on local public transport in rural areas. In the past, independent local bus transporters were brought together regionally and have been market leaders in Germany’s public transportation market. By the end of 2016, the previously used IT infrastructure was distributed in seven regions within Germany, operated completely independently, and made use of classic datacenter designs. Growing competition on the market and the search for agile IT infrastructure solutions were factors for the decision to implement Cloud services and centralize the ITK.
The challenge:
Seven regional IT infrastructure landscapes should be consolidated and migrated to the AWS Cloud. All group requirements had to be taken into account and placed into a Cloud-readiness architecture. In addition, a central ITC operations team based on a SysOps approach had to be set up from IT administrators who were formerly focused on regional interests. Strategically, application migration should be started with core applications in order to gain high acceptance for the new Cloud services.
The implementation:
The two applications consisted of various subsystems with a monolithic software architecture construction. The fact that these systems were used in different forms for each region, that they were migrated without interruption, and that database schemes and interfaces in the respective regions were defined and operated differently made things all that much more challenging.
Together with the PROTOS Technologie GmbH, DB Regio was able to develop and implement a suitable account and network concept that includes the use of AWS Services such as customer gateways, direct connect, and best practice VPC subnetting. The existing IT systems were then migrated from the various OnPremise datacenters to the Cloud making use of Lift & Shift as well as re-hosting. During the migration and in today’s operations, AWS services such as EC2, SSM, EBS, and S3 are each made use of.
The original server systems were rebuilt for the migration into the AWS environment based on asset analyzes carried out in advance. The final quantity structure of the database and application machines as well as the sizing were defined after a 3-month long monitoring phase under duress. Necessary central infrastructure components and directory services as well as client desktop virtualization for the core applications were consolidated in advance and made available as new, centrally acting components.
Within 12 weeks, the account and the network environment was set up and the first systems, which formerly included more than 50 virtual and physical servers, were migrated. At the same time, central IT components for the operation of the core applications and roughly 75 TB of data were also migrated. Classic Citrix clients were replaced by AWS workspaces for defined user workloads.
In addition to the technical conception and support during the implementation, the PROTOS Technologie GmbH assumed the project management duties and supported the customer with the organizational and technical issues at hand. From the definition and implementation of newly adapted business and operating processes, PROTOS acted as a partner to DB Regio Bus via communication interfaces to external service providers and by providing support in starting up a new ITC operating team.
In addition to the technical and expert support during the migration, PROTOS also assumed the managerial duties and implementation of workshops and training seminars, providing effective support to introduce the DB Regio Bus ITK to new Cloud readiness processes.
Outcome:
Within 16 weeks, decentralized IT landscapes isolated at the regional level were migrated into a central, completely virtualized, agile, scalable, and highly redundant IT infrastructure environment. The systems today scale vertically and partly horizontally.
With today’s IT landscape, the DB Regio Bus is able to adapt quickly and flexibly adapt to the changing conditions and level of competition on the market. New ITK applications, services, and support tools can be placed into operation in the current infrastructure in a very short period of time.
The IT processes for the DB Regio Bus are predestined for the use of big data, IoT, real-time data streaming, and analysis as well as serverless architectures. This step in evolution simultaneously serves as the common conviction as well as the motivation and driver of the project.